Shifting Tides
by Songbird56
Summary: Off the cost of Ninjago, a new threat has arisen... all but two of the ninja's allience have been captured. For Cole and Chamille, it's a race against time to save their friends from a mysterious race known as 'shifts.' for the others, it's a fight for survival on a mysterious island. Will they save the day? Or has the rule of the Shifts begun? (Rated T for violence)
1. Wake Up And Smell The Coffee

**A NOTE: For this fanfic, the immediate ninja alliance is Lloyd, Cole, Kai, Jay, Zane, Nya, Skylor, and Chamille**

* * *

A lone eagle soared high above the land, making its way towards the Destiny's Bounty, stationed high in the air. As it approached the railing, it morphed into tan-skinned Chamile who sported long, brown hair and had an overflowing shopping bag in her hand. She scanned the empty deck, stumbling over an overturned barrel.

There was a moment of silence as she frowned, glancing at the barrel, and set down her shopping bag.

"Hello? Guys?" No response. She took a step back, a little nervous now, and tried again.

"Anyone?" Her whisper was carried away by the breeze as she took a cautious step back.

Suddenly, a noise cut through the barren landscape, and she jumped, spinning on her heel. Clearly, she was not alone, and the lyrics of the song Semi-Charmed Life were easily heard.

Taking the stairs two at a time, she flew down until she was infront of Cole's room, and jiggled the doorknob, which refused to budge. But, relentless, she pulled a bobbing pin out of her hair and quietly picked the lock.

Meanwhile, inside, Cole's desk sported a pile of CDs and a black boombox, and he sang along to the song as he shuffled through them.

"It won't stop, I won't come down, I keep stock, With a tick-tock rhythm and a bump for the drop, And then I bumped up, I took the hit I was given, Then I bumped again, And then I bumped again, How do I get back there to, The place where I fell asleep inside you? How do I get myself back to The place where you said-"

The door slammed open, and Chamille tucked the bobbing pin back into her pocket. She surveyed the room and frowned. "WHAT are you doing?"

Cole frowned and sarcastically exclaimed, "Chamille! Hi! I wasn't...Ummmm...Expecting visitors…"

"That's obvious." her eye caught on the boombox, and she walked over to pick it up. "Hey, this is mine!"

"Maaaybe."

"And these are my CDs! When did you take them?"

"I-"

"Well, I'll take em' back now, thanks. Wait, where's my Reputation CD?"

She shuffled around the room and triumphantly lifted her CD out of a pile of books carelessly thrown in the corner.

"Why are you even in my room in the first place?"

"Oh, yeah. Everyone's missing. Thought you should know."

"Everyone? Are you sure you didn't forget there are more places to hang out than the upper deck?"

Chamille snorted. "Yeah, I forgot, Cole. Thank you for reminding me."

"Well, EXcuse ME if someone's being grumpy today."

"Well, get this, Earth Demon: I don't care what you think! Now give me back my things and let's check the security footage!"

About ten minutes later, Chamille and Cole had made their way to the control room, plopping down at the seats without a word and staring at the large screens that made up a whole wall.

Cole frowned as Chamille scrolled through the footage. "Look up what happened while you were gone."

"Gee, thanks, Earth Demon. I couldn't think of that myself for sure."

Cole opened his mouth, then closed it, thinking better of angering her further.

With a few clicks, vidio feed popped up on the screen. In it, the ninja were training, minus Cole, then a shadow fell over them, sporting no particular shape. They looked up, then the screen sputtered once, twice, and went back to an empty deck. Cole and Chamille looked at each other in shock.

"What just happened?!" Cole asked.

Chamille sighed and explained, "Edited feed. We're not dealing with any old villain."

Cole scowled. "Nice to know. I couldn't think of that myself for sure."

"I know."

After a second of searching and three passwords, Chamille clicked on another file.

The feed was slightly blurry, but it was clear enough to see the ninja training on deck.

"This is what we just saw!" Cole complained.

Chamille slapped a hand over his mouth. "Shush."

As the shadow fell over the ninja, though, five white dragons scooped onto the deck, then the screen went blank again, but only as something was pressed over it. After a second, a map was visible of the Ninjago shoreline, a large red X over the sea to the west.

Then the screen went black, and a message popped up: FOOTAGE UNAVAILABLE. TRY AGAIN LATER.

Cole gaped at Chamille. "I thought you said the footage was deleted!"

Chamille nodded, suddenly looking very nervous, and whispered, "It was. That was butterfly cams. But now it IS deleted...all of it."

"What the heck does that-"

Chamille elbowed him and hissed, "It means we're being hacked into RIGHT NOW! Get your stuff. I think I can get a copy of the map, but the Bounty isn't safe. That means we'll have to travel on foot to find the others."

"That's just dandy." Cole muttered, but he did what Chamille asked.

* * *

Chamille is frowned at her watch as she waited for Cole in the control room. She was wearing a well-stocked backpack, and her sweater was wrapped tightly around her waist. Both her bow and arrows were secured to her belt and her double-bladed spear was safely folded up in her backpack, but still within reach just in case.

Suddenly, Cole dashed in, an empty-looking backpack in one hand and his scythe in the other. He was panting and out of breath, but had the sense to shrink back when he saw Chamille's glare.

"That's all you packed?"

Cole turned around. "I can go get more. It might take me a while though."

"Just no. We needa find the others. Minus Lloyd. I would be able to live with lloyd being captured."

Cole opened his mouth to protest, but Chamille shoved him into the hallway.

After all, there was no going back now.

* * *

In the crowded streets of Ninjago City, Cole and Chamille trudged along. It was mid-day, as opposed to mid-morning, when they had started out. Neither had eaten a decent breakfast, and the constant movement had left them restless and hungry, as well as tired.

"Can we stop for food? I didn't even have my after-breakfast snack yet! Or my after-after-breakfast snack, either!" Cole complained. Chamille ignored him. Cole had been complaining all morning, and she was fed up with her travel partner.

"Chamille? Food? PLEEEASE?"

That was different. Cole hadn't said 'please' to her for as long as she'd known him, and she only hesitated a second before saying, "I hate to agree with you, but I'm kinda hungry, too."

Cole looked hopefully at her. "Hey...is that a Buck's Star?"

Across the street, a small coffee joint dubbed Buck's Star was welcomingly placed. Cole and Chamille looked at each other, than nearly trampled each other as they raced to the shop, quickly sprinting across multiple lanes of traffic and into the cozy building and eagerly claiming a table. Chamille spread a wad of cash out on the table and silently counted, and Cole flagged down a waiter.

"Hi! Welcome to Buck's Star Coffee. What would you like?" A plump, blonde waitress in a pink dress asked them, jotting down notes on an ordering pad.

Cole went first. "Two...no, three donuts, three large muffins banana bread, a whole loaf, and...ummm...one latte with extra whipped cream. Please."

The waitress looked unfazed. "No problem, dearie. And you, miss?"

"One large mocha and three slices of lemon bread, and a power bar, please. I'll take a donut with that, also."

"You and your boyfriend sure eat a lot, don't you?" the waitress replied with a chuckle.

Chamille went beet red, quickly shifting her body so that she was more muscular and her hair was blacker, also slightly darkening her skin, and replied, "Actually, we're cousins."

The waitress seemed so unfazed compared to Cole, though slightly confused regarding the change in appearance, it was funny.

As the waiter nodded and walked away, Cole elbowed her hard in the ribs.

"OW! WHAT the JINX was that for?"

"We're not cousins! And someone could have noticed you transforming!"

"Oh, shut up. The waiter didn't notice ANYTHING."

Cole lowered his voice to a whisper. "No, but _she_ did."

He pointed to an old-looking lady with short, curly silver hair and very fair, almost white, skin and hideous blobs of red makeup around her eyes and on her cheeks. She was looking slyly at Chamille, who started to get up.

"No. It'll just attract attention to us." Cole reminded her. Chamille sat back down and waved over-cheerfully at the old lady, then turned back to cole, her tone of voice much different than her fake smile.

"Fine. We'll wait until we get some food first. But I don't like the looks of her."

Just as she spoke, the cheerful waitress plopped two large to-go bags down infront of them. "Here ya go!"

As she left, Chamille hissed, "Here that? Let's scram."

But as she stood up and turned around, the old lady appeared behind her. "Hello, dearie. I couldn't help but notice you had the most _lovely_ bow."

"But I'm not wearing a-" Chamille realized that her magically protected bow's disguise, brewed carefully by Mistaké, had been seen through, presumably by some magical force.

Cole stood up and shouldered his backpack. "We should go."

"So soon?" The lady inquired, sitting down. Her smile turned to an estic sneer as white wings with veins of red sprouted from her shoulders. In a matter of seconds, a full-grown dragon faced the teens, its glistening white teeth glinting in the light.

With a mighty screech, a burst of flames shot from ts mouth, setting Buck's Star ablaze in a burst of red.

* * *

Miles away, a prisoner awoke.

"Wh-wha? Where am I? What happened?" Jay sat up in a cold, dark prison cell, complete with vengestone bars and an impenetrable cement floor.

Besides him, a dark figure seemed to stir.

"Jay?" Nya whispered, "Why are you in my room?"

"Nya, we're not in your room."

"Where are we in the Destiny's Bounty, then?"

"We're not _on_ the Destiny's Bounty."

Nya sat up. "What?"

Footsteps echoed in the darkness as Nya walked over to the bars of the cell, and Jay realized they weren't just hers.

A tall, thin man with raven-black hair was standing at the cell door, red blotches around his eyes and on his cheeks. "They're awake."

"Finally! I was startina think they'd never stir." An equally-made-up man replied, cackling.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Nya asked, taking a cautious step back.

"That's for me to know and you, little one, to find out."

The other guard smiled wickedly. "What're we to do with 'em now?"

In a high-pitched laugh, the other responded, "Take them to the king, of course."

Jay stood up beside Nya. "The king of who? Where? Where are we?"

The guard gave him a hard stare. "The Palace of the Retreating Sea, of course."

"And who are you taking us to?"

"You two are oh so observant for ninja." One guard chuckled sarcastically.

The other guard grinned. "We're taking you to our master. King of the shifts. And he'll decide if you're worth keeping alive."


	2. The Dragon Of Many Forms

Only seconds before, the old lady had been a hideous yet ordinary enough woman. Now she was an angry red dragon burning down Buck's star.

So, you know, normal, everyday stuff.

Yeah right.

As terrified pedestrians trampled each other in fleeing the shop, Cole and Chamille faced their opponent with weapons ready.

Just as Chamille drew back her first arrow, Cole knocked her aside, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. The arrow hit the ceiling, uselessly stuck in the soft foam.

"What was that for?" Chamille angrily asked at the same time a burst of flames whisked across the exact spot she had been standing.

Cole's face went red. "I was trying to-"

"Oh." Blushing, Chamille got up and knocked another arrow, aiming through the flames at the dragon, but in an instant she morphed into a smaller dragonfly and buzzed away.

Cole was on the other side of the shop, prying lose a window, by the time Chamille gave up her chase, and she quickly helped him attempt to forcefully heave it open.

"It won't budge!"

Neither noticed a white-colored wolf with bright red markings behind them.

The wolf sprang, and both teens turned just in times to avoid being pounced on. The wolf morphed back into a human. "No escape. No way out. You've been bested, ninja. Your fatal mistake was coming here in the first place, or believing you truly were safe. The shifts are eternal. All-powerful." She unsheathed a small dagger from her belt and charged Cole, but she was cut off by an arrow and collapsed.

Chamille notched another. "Stand back."

Her second arrow shattered the glass window and she and Cole quickly got out of the burning shop, darting around a startled cameraman and into a newly gathered crowd, sprinting away from the flames and into the city.

Only when they were a few miles away Chamille collapsed on a bench, groaning, and rearranged her arrows in their quiver. "You OK?"

"Better than ever." Cole sarcastically answered.

Chamille shot him a look and he frowned.

"We just got attacked by a _shift_ thingy, nearly died, and barely escaped with our lives. How could I be better? Oh, and also, I'm still starving! And the others are gone, or disappeared, or something, and here we are, lost in the city! How could I possibly be better?"

Chamille's gaze softened and she looked at her feet. "Sor-ry."

"It's fine." Cole was surprised to find that he actually meant it.

She fingered a bag in her pack and brought out her order from Buck's Star. "At least I can make one thing right."

Cole's mouth dropped open as he grabbed the bag. "You. Are. The. Best. Travel. Partner. EVER!"

* * *

 **Yes, yes. Short chapter. Sorry. I'm focusing on the Chamille/Cole part right now, but we'll find out what happened to the others, including Nya and Jay, VERY soon. As in next chapter soon. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Kingdom Come

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO** **oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

 **Sorry if my chapters are too short...I'll try to make this one EXTRA long... Yes, I know Kingdom Come already is an episode title. Deal with it.**

 **OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO** **oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

"Bring them to me."

The king's guards parted and the captured ninja shuffled forwards, flanked by wickedly pronged spears and sneering men with pale skin and reddish makeup.

The king of the shifts was tall and thin, seated on a throne of gold and dressed in a silky tunic. An iron sword rested at his side, and it was clear he was in power.

"Now," He growled through wolflike teeth, "kneel before your captor."

Not one of his captives made a move against or for him, standing in a single line across the throne room.

Through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes, their king stood, towering over them. Dust-colored hair framed his muscled build, and he looked young, mabye in his late teens. He hoisted his sword over his shoulder and walked over to them.

"So these are the ninja. Punny. I thought the young heros who may be the thing to take down our troops would be more... _impressive._ "

The guards snickered.

"And also," He added, "I thought mabye Ninjago City would try harder to reclaim their lost heros. But it seems you've warded off even your protectees. Nobody has come. And look around. The black one and amber one are not among you. They have betrayed your cause."

Nya shuffled closer to Kai. "He's got to be lying. Cole wouldn't do that."

The king didn't seem to notice, continuing his speech to the guards and a few shift pedestrians who had gathered in the room.

Kai nodded. "And Skylor?"

Nya was silent, but her eyes betrayed her feelings.

"Oh, come on, Nya, Skylor wouldn't-"

Zane, who was on his other side, leaned into their huddle. "There is a 45% chance Skylor is still loyal to the ninja, and a 90% chance Cole is. There is a higher probability that Skylor is a traitor than not."

"Oh, come on, guys! Skylor's not-"

The other ninja joined the huddle, but still the unconcerned king of shifts continued his speech.

"Before you say anything, Cole's not a traitor." Jay claimed.

Lloyd tried to slip into the huddle, but was left stuck outside the circle. "Guys, could you-"

"SKYLOR IS NOT A TRAITOR!" Kai exclaimed.

Zane shook his head. "She very well could be. According to P.I.X.A.L. and logical statistics-"

"Guys! LET ME IN!" Lloyd shoved past Jay and wriggled into place just to be butted out again.

The oblivious king chose that moment to end his speech. "And so let it be that by the power of the Crystals of the Powerful and the capture of the supposed heros known as 'the ninja' we reign over the mainland, the seas, and the rest of the world!" His conclusion was met with a roar of applause, and citizens shuffled out.

"Now, as for you…" He stalked over to the ninja and paced around them, quickly halting their conversation, and took to examining Nya. "Not a bad specimen, but could be better with a little work.

Nya snapped at his fingers and he took a step back, glaring.

"You also might want to consider a muzzle so you don't go around biting your new master."

"Where are Cole? And Skylor? I'd even settle for knowing where Chamille is!" Lloyd demanded.

"On our side. And YOU are getting on our nerves." The king replied. Two of his guards restrained Lloyd as he lunged forward, quickly making it impossible for him to struggle free.

"What are you going to do with us anyway?" Jay asked defiantly.

"That is for me to know," He smiled wickedly, "And you to find out."

* * *

Meanwhile, Cole and Chamille were conveniently NOT being chased by any more form-changing dragons.

"When will we get to our 'undisclosed destination?'" Cole asked, watching Chamille study their map.

She thought for a second before responding. "First we're stopping by Mistake's tea shop. Mabye she has something helpful, and-"

"We're stopping by Mistake's? That's stupid!"

"Well, I'm bringing you along, so I'm obviously stupid enough." Chamille shot back calmly.

Though Chamille and Cole had gained a little respect for each other on their mission to save the others, most of the time cooperation was impossible for them. Hatred had turned to plain disliking, but it would be a while yet before it turned to trust.

And probably a while yet before they could come to an agreement, too.

Cole groaned. "Could we please just take a direct route to the shift's home? It would be simpler. And we wouldn't have to deal with tea lady."

"Mistake may be older than us, and a little weird, but she's smart and could probably help us in a fight."

"How can she do that, exactly?"

"Tea."

Cole stared at Chamille funny, and she sighed. "I know, I know. But remember traveler's tea? Mabye she has something else useful."

"I don't like it, but fine."

* * *

Almost an hour later, Cole and Chamille arrived at an old-fashioned shop in the middle of a bustling city.

Cole frowned. "Are you sure about this?"

"One-thousand and ten percent."

Inside, jars of dried herbs decked the walls and a bittersweet smell filled the air.

Chamille walked up to the counter and looked around. "Hello?"

"Who is it?" a raspy voice called. A frail, grey-haired lady emerged from the back of the shop.

"We need your assistance, Mistake."

Her expression remained hard, but her voice softened. "Chamille. I thought you would come, with a new era of shifts on the horizon."

"That's the thing. Do you know how we can infiltrate their headquarters and rescue the others?"

"I cannot tell you all of what lies ahead, but I know enough to be of assistance. Come."

"We don't have time for-" Cole interrupted, but Chamille shot him a warning look and he followed the girls to the back of the shop in silence.

"Sit." Mistake ushered them to a mat on the floor and got out a teapot, pouring a steaming grey liquid into it and mixing in rose-colored herbs.

Cole scowled. "We don't have time for this!" He whispered to Chamille.

"She knows what they're called, _shifts._ She could know more than just that."

"Indeed." Mistake told them, signaling she had overheard. "The shifts are a mysterious new race that popped up off the coast of Ninjago a few centuries ago, taking forms as swiftly and easily as you do."

The master of form frowned and fingered her bow, remembering the red-blotched dragon's deadly attack.

"But," Mistake continued, "their powers do not come naturally, and their power source is spilt up around their unnatural island, concealed in a shaped arc of water far off the coast that easily could rival a skating pool."

Cole sighed. "How will this help us again?"

"They'll spot you on a dragon, and if Chamille takes on an unnatural form you will be caught, so I suggest you use other, harder to track means of travel."

"Meaning?" Chamille asked.

Without answering, the tea lady walked over to a shelf on the wall and selected a smooth, white horn inlaid with silver streaks, passing it carefully to Cole, and presented Chamille with a bamboo thermos of her tea. "The tea is Siren's Tea, one dose. It is rare and will last only a short period of time, so use it wisely."

Cole opened his mouth to speak, but Mistake cut him off. "The horn will summon your rides. They can each hold multiple riders and will be easily called once they arrive. But only use the horn once you reach the coast, or the shifts will have time to prepare for your arrival.

"Does that mean they know we're here?" Chamille blurted, attaching her tiny thermos to her backpack.

Mistake nodded. "I suggest you leave before they destroy my shop. I doubt my insurance will cover dragons. And one more thing: Travel lightly as you approach the island of the shifts. I can hold your things here."

"Thanks, Mistake." Chamille told her, grabbing her bow and tea. She quickly dropped the rest of her things in an empty corner of the shop and headed outside.

Cole dropped his bag next to hers, and they both headed out of the shop.

* * *

Kai rammed against his cell door, roughly jostling his shoulder as the heavy vengestone refused to budge.

"Kai, hurting yourself won't help us out of this." Nya told him from her cell across the way.

Jay frowned. "Where's our rescue team?"

"Captured. Traitors. Lost." Zane suggested.

"Thanks, Zane, that makes me feel so much better." Jay muttered.

Lloyd stood up. "Guys, if the rescue brigade isn't coming, let's break out of here ourselves." He grinned, imagining the look on the shift king's face when the ninja unexpectedly showed up and escaped. "Listen closely, I think I have a plan…"


	4. Taking Flight

At the edge of the ocean, Chamille sucked in a breath as Cole untangled a pure white horn from his belt.

Mistake had told the teens that the horn would summon their ride to the shift's strange fortress, hopefully leading them to their friends. Chamille had her own gift: a vial of Siren's Tea to use in an emergency. What it did and how helpful it would be she didn't know.

Yet.

"Ready, Mille?" Cole asked her.

Chamille felt her face go slightly red. "Don't call me that!" She snapped, blowing a strand of long, brown hair out of her face. Being the master of form, she could change her appearance at will, but her cheeks refused to return to their normal tan color.

He grinned at her annoyed expression. "Fine, Cam."

"I hate you." Though it had been at the start of their journey, it wasn't entirely true now. Before Cole and Chamille had shared a mutual understanding that they'd leave eachother alone if the other did the same.

But thrust into action by their friend's kidnappers, they'd survived a deadly dragon chase and were on their way to a deadly, magical island neither of them knew much about.

Things had changed.

Nothing was as simple as it had been.

"Chamille? Hello? Anyone home?" Chamille snapped out of her train of thought, frowning.

"Blow the stupid horn, earth demon."

Cole obliged, and a deep, echoing sound came out of it. Almost instantly they could hear the faint flapping of wings, and in the distance, far over the ocean, two blurry brown dots were approaching fast. As they veered closer, they looked like brownish seagulls.

"Are those...birds?" Cole asked.

Chamille gasped as they swooped closer, looking like they came straight from a storybook. No, not a storybook, an ancient, undiscovered world. "No, not birds, Cole."

The half-eagle, half-lion beasts swooped to a landing infront of them.

"They're _griffons…_ "

* * *

After convincing Cole griffons were probably, almost one-hundred percent not going to eat elemental masters as a nice, healthy snack, they boarded their mounts and took off into the sky.

Cole wondered if Chamille was as confident as she looked, easily clinging onto her griffon as it darted around the sky. He wondered if she noticed it still had a few purple streaks… no matter what form she took, she always had something purple on her.

Like the shift and her red markings.

Hey, wait a minute…

He tugged his griffon slightly to the side, and it whizzed over to where Chamille was. "Chamille!"

"What?" She called back, slowing down to swoop closer to him.

"What if the red markings are a sign? That the human and dragon forms on the shift lady meant those aren't her natural form?"

Chamille nodded. "Where did you get that idea?"

"Your hair."

"Huh?"

"Some if it's still purple."

"It is?" Chamille swooped down low to the water to examine her reflection, Cole diving down more slowly to hover besides her as she looked. "Oh. It is. I guess I never really thought about it before."

"Yeah, me neither."

Chamille looked up, and suddenly her expression changed. "We've gotta get in the air!"

"What?" Cole looked up to see wooden beams rising out of the sea and noticed that the water seemed to drop away like a skating pool. "I think we're here!"

"The island of shifts." Chamille agreed, "And it looks like we've got company."

A few guards were staring and pointing at them, and Cole flew in their direction after Chamille, who grabbed her bow and an arrow on griffon back and readied for fire.

The shifts were on a small wooden outcropping that was part of a large structure, with guard nooks placed systematically in other perches along its side. Intricate red and gold patterns decorated the walls, and the platforms were open to the sea, with no railing. And, without even scanning her surroundings, Chamille was soaring towards their most able threat.

Cole concluded that there was no way she could be so brave, just impulsive and reckless. They were flying into unknown territory, against an enemy they knew little to nothing about, on wild griffons they had summoned with a magic horn. But before he knew it, he had his scythe readied to help her attack.

As Chamille swooped close enough to the guards to get a clear shot, she lept off her griffon's back, aiming an arrow at a tall, muscled guard.

Cole swooped up next to the platform and climbed off, their griffons flying away to watch at a safer distance, and swung his scythe in a wide circle around himself, knocking two of the eight guards into the water.

Chamille's arrow hit its mark, but to her dismay the shift removed it easily from the hole it plucked in his armor, revealing no sign he had wounds.

With an annoyed growl, she tugged a smaller sword out of her belt, fending off her opponent and another guard who had scrambled over.

With a final swipe, Cole fought off three more guards and proceeded to a fourth. Meanwhile, Chamille turned into a cougour, abandoning her sword.

After an initial expression of surprise, the guard smiled and tossed his spear over the side of the platform, turning into a bulky mountain lion.

Both cats sprang at eachother, and Cole watched the other guard, who was watching the fight, slink eagerly towards Chamille. But before he could call out a warning, something hard and cold cut into his shoulder and he stumbled.

"Forget about me?" His current opponent growled, removing his sword.

Spinning around, Cole sized up his form-taking foe. Tall. Red markings. Dark brown, almost black, hair against darkly tanned skin. And probably about Cole's age, too, not that he'd show any mercy to a stuck-up teen who didn't know when to quit.

They circled each other matching stride for stride as they sized their opponents up and readied their weapons. Then, in a flash, they sprang at each other. Metal met metal, and sword crashed against scythe.

* * *

Chamille wasn't any more at an advantage with her fight. The mountain-lion shift was evenly matched, and for every bit of skill and cunning she had he had brute strength and irregular speed.

With a last burst of energy, as her opponent reared up, Chamille turned back to human and darted under the large cat as he pounced on the spot where she would've been. Before she could dash away and reclaim her sword, though, the un-transformed gaud grabbed her and the other turned back, pressing his spear against her back.

"Not a move, pussycat."

She glanced at Cole's fight, where he was aimlessly slashing his scythe at the guard, who looked bored. A crimson gash in his shoulder told her he wasn't doing very well.

Her guard grinned. "Any last words?"

Remembering something, Chamille grabbed her thermos of Siren's Tea in one fluid movement and uncapped it, gulping down the still-warm drink.

She relaxed, hoping something would happen, but nothing did. She felt normal.

Uh-oh.

"What is it, Pussycat? Somethin' supposed to happen?" The guard teased, sneering.

Feeling anger well up in her, Chamille prepared to shoot back a retort, but instead a strange instinct told her: _Sing._

Without thinking, Chamille, sung, "Leave me alone, let us go free. Give up your mind and fall fast asleep...nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, give up this fortress and let us inside…"

The guards holding her seemed to go into a trance dropping her and moving to a wall with reddish patterns, opening a hidden panel that lead to a long, dark hallway.

Chamille gasped as she realized it was controlling them, but in her moment of silence both started to fade back into reality. Chamille kept singing, louder now. "Let us go, let us inside...freely give up your mind..."

At her order, the guards stood down, this time including the one fighting Cole.

"How are you doing that?" Cole asked.

Chamille shook her head and motioned to her thermos, trying to keep the guards subdued as she headed towards the entrance to the fortress.

"Oh."

But just as they started to exit the platform, one of the guards snapped awake. "Where're you going?"

"It must be wearing off!" Chamille exclaimed, slamming closed the hidden panel and taking off down the narrow hall.

The fight had been won, but the battle was long from over.


	5. Warning

Did you know fanfiction owns everything you post?

Neither did I. I'm not going to be continuing this fanfiction because this content is very important to me and I'd like to keep it safe... but stay tuned for updates, I may continue this if I find a decent site to post more on that doesn't take my work for their own...

Anyway, have a nice day, I'm too protest-y so yeah... [I'd just like to say their are some amazing writers here and I don't want you to lose your OCs or content, some of this stuff is really talented, sincere, writing, and I think that if you changed it a bit to original content you could publish it... and I'd buy it 110%]


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